Forgive and Forget?

Mother Theresa is credited with the above quote.   It's a pretty interesting quote and one that I find myself agreeing with as I believe God is forgiving by nature as evidenced by the following verses:

• Psalm 51:17 - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

• Psalm 86:4-5 - Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.  For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.

• Psalm 103:8-12 - The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever.  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

• Isiah 1:18 - "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; tough they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

But do we really follow God's example in forgiveness?   Do we forgive everyone as we should?  What I mean by that is:

• Do we forgive everyone who wrongs us - regardless of the offense?
• When we do forgive - do we forget the offense or do we maintain a list/hold a grudge?
• Do we approach individuals who have wronged up appropriately?
• Do we maintain a personal policy similar to three strikes and you're out when it comes to forgiving others?

In my mind, if we are uneasy about any of our answers to the above, then we likely aren't following the example God's example.  Looking at each of the questions individually:

Do we forgive everyone who wrongs us - regardless of the offense?

You know what I mean here - right?   Sometimes we can't believe that someone did or said something, intentional or not, that wronged us.   The wrong could be any number of things, lying, stealing, gossip, physical violence, emotional harm - anything.  How many times do we say/think - there's no coming back from this one!  I will never be able to forgive them!  However that isn't what Jesus tells us.   Jesus expects us to forgive - regardless of the offense.  

• Matthew 6:14-15 - For if you forgive men when the sin against you, you heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

• Colossians 3:13 - Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Based on the above verses, we are to forgive as the He forgave us.   How many of us have thought that Jesus could never forgive us for whatever sin we have in our life - and yet he does and has.

The story of how Stephen met his end is another example of forgiveness regardless of how you are wronged.   

• Acts 7:59-60 - While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."  Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he said this, he fell asleep.

Stephen is being stoned / killed and yet he prays and asks the Lord to not hold it against them.   He is forgiving them as they are taking his life.  Can you imagine someone wronging you in as harsh a manner and forgiving them?   We must also not forget the example Jesus sets for us - He assumed all of our sins, went to the cross and died for each of our sins.  Yet he forgives us.   Given that example, how can we not forgive those that wrong us?

When we forgive - do we forget the offense or do we maintain a list/hold a grudge?

We are all guilty of this one.   We may forgive someone but we maintain a list in the back of our head that remembers each and every wrong.   Or we forgive someone only to continue to look for reasons why they may have said or done what it is they did and once we observe that behavior, we make assumptions that reinforce our opinion.  Perhaps we also begin to resent that person or start treating them differently.   We may even hold back on the list until the next opportunity to bring it up - i.e. the next argument or the next time the person has to apologize.

Ephesians 4:31-32 says: "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."   Based on this verse alone, not only do we need to forgive, but we also need to let go of any anger, resentment and other negative feelings we have towards the person otherwise we may put our self in the position of judging that person based on our perceptions - even though they "apologized" and we "forgave" them.  

Luke 6:37 says: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven."    This verse alone is worthy of its own discussion, however, I think it also applies here. We shouldn't be judging others.  Frankly, we aren't qualified to judge others due to our own sinful nature.  Further, if we end up holding onto bitter feelings and find ourselves judging the other person, then aren't we opening up ourselves to be judged in a similar manner by Jesus ("Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned")?

That and I this verse sums it up for us pretty concisely.

• Luke 7:47-48 -  "...Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven - for she loved much.  But he who is forgiven little, loves little."  And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 

If we are in fact holding onto grudges and resentment after forgiving them, are we really sincere in our forgiveness?   

Do we approach individuals who have wronged us appropriately?

When you are wronged, do you think about it and let the hurt/anger build over a course of several days before approaching the individual?   Do you immediatly lash out in anger and have it out as soon as you learn of the transgression?   OR do you avoid the conversation all together and internalize the resulting hurt/anger because you really don't like confrontation/conflict?

Regardless of how you approach it, the bible tells us that we need to approach the individual in grace and love.   In fact, Galatians 6:1-2 say to use a "spirit of gentleness."   Specifically, Galatians 6:1-2 says - "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.  Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted."    In short, we should be kind, speak in love, but do have the conversation regarding why you feel wronged and be ready to forgive them and fully restore the relationship.

But what if I don't like conflict?   Can't I just ignore the issue and let bygones be bygones?  I suppose that is an approach, but is it really the best thing long term?   Isn't it possible that over time you will let the anger and hut build up and have it negatively impact the relationship you have?    In Matthew Jesus says: 

• Matthew 5:22-24 - "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.  So if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave you gift there before the alter and go.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

According to Jesus, if you know there is an issue, then you need to go and take care of it, otherwise we are opening ourselves up for judgement and potentially ruining a relationship longer term.

Do we maintain a personal policy similar to "three strikes and you're out" when it comes to forgiving others?

This is one that has what is a very familiar verse when it comes to discussions around forgiveness.  In fact, I don't know that I could discuss forgiveness and not have this verse as part of it.  

• Matthew 18:21-22 - The Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?   Up to seven times?  "Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

In this scripture, Peter probably felt that he was being gracious when asking if seven was the total number of times he should forgive someone.   As you can tell, by Jesus' answer, we must forgive many more times than just seven.  Jesus did not intend to set an upper boundary limiting the number of times we are to forgive.  In fact, my belief is Christians with forgiving hearts not only do not limit the number of times they forgive, they continue to forgive with as much grace and love when forgiving someone for the millionth time as they had the first time they forgave someone.   This level of grace and love in forgiveness is only possible because the Spirit of God lives within each of us and He is the one providing the ability to offer repeated forgiveness - just as Jesus repeated forgives us.

I think Henry Ward Beecher summed it up best when he was quoted as saying. "A forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note, torn in two and burned up, so that it can never be shown against the man."

Let's show the world a different side of Christianity - one based in the love and forgiveness Jesus provides each of us!

Won't or Can't?

How many of us have found our non-Christian friends are generally OK allowing us to share our faith with them, maybe even allow us to take their kids to church with us (provided each family has kids around the same age).  Some may even have allowed us to share the gospel with them enough times that they understand what's at stake but just can't seem to take that last step of making a hard commitment because they want to accept Jesus on their terms and not on His terms?  

What I mean by that is that Jesus doesn't want just a part of us - He want's ALL of us!  Below are a few verses that help clarify His expectations for us:

Ephesians 4:22-24 - that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Philippians 3:8 - More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for who I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish that I may gain Christ,

Luke 9:23 - And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his Cross daily and follow Me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?"

John 12:24 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

What appears to hold many of us up in making a decision to accept Jesus is the commitment of our entire self to Jesus.  We want to pick and choose what parts of ourselves we give up.   You know, we still want to be able to keep control of aspects of our lives, but only let Jesus into certain aspects of our lives.  Unfortunately, this isn't what Jesus is looking for.  And really, when you step back and consider what we are already willing to commitment to other things- you have to wonder why are we so hesitant to commit to Jesus.   What I mean is, how many:

• Are willing to focus solely on a career/climbing the corporate ladder vs. any aspect of outside life?  Often losing friends and family along the way.
• Teenage girls are willing to sacrifice their bodies to premarital sex over to get or keep a boy friend?
• People willing to sacrifice relationships with their friends/family to chase after drugs and/or alcohol?
• Dads/Husbands and/or moms/wives make a decision to their family over an adulterous relationship?

The one thing each of the above has in common is that we are sacrificing large portions of our lives and/or committing our lives to the above things and more!   We have no problem at all with these and other thigs continuously asking for more and more from us.   To continuously sacrifice for some unspoken promise or reward.   But in any of these things - the world asks us to take action first - many times with absolutely no guarantee we will be successful in obtaining what we are are pursuing.  Are we really willing to gamble with eternity with no guarantee?  In my experience the world has a big problem with over promisi and under delivering.  Luke 17:33 tells us whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.  It seems to me that in not committing our entire life to Jesus that we are choosing eternal death.   Does that make sense?

Here's the thing, unlike the world, Jesus isn't asking any of us to do something that He hasn't already done for us.  When Jesus went to the cross and died for us, He committed His life to us!  Let that sink in for a second.  Jesus isn't asking us to do anything that He hasn't already done for us.   He went first!   He made the commitment to us before He asked us to commit our lives to Him!  All he is asking of us is to pour ourselves out for him just as he poured himself out for us - except we don't have to go thru the humiliation of being crucified on the cross to do so.   Further we have the guarantee that if we give all to Him, that we will have eternal life!   

John 3:16-17 - For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send Jesus into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Given the sacrifice Jesus made for us, is it really too much to ask to give our self entirely over to Jesus? 

The Prodigal Son

This one is a fairly common bible story taught in many Sunday school classes.   I know that I have heard it many times while growing up.   However, does it have a happy ending?   Is Jesus trying to tell us something more with this parable?

First a refresher of the parable found in Luke 15:11-32: Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.  The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.'  So he divided his property between them.  Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.   He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. "

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I have am starving to death!   I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.'  So he got up and went to his father."

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick!  Bring the best robe and put it on him.  Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.  Bring the fattened calf and kill it.  Let's have a feast and celebrate.  For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  So they began to celebrate."

"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field.  When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.  'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'"

"The older brother became angry and refused to go in.  So he father went out and pleaded with him.  But he answered his father, 'Look!  All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.  Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'"

"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

Now, in biblical time's for a son to ask for his inheritance before the death of his father was a pretty severe offense.   It was generally equivalent to the son wishing for the father's death.  Knowing that, can you imagine how the father in this parable must have felt?

Despite this, the father relented and provided the son with his part of his inheritance and didn't stand in his way when he left.

There is no mention in the parable regarding what caused this outburst from the younger son.   Was the father:

• too demanding?
• unfair?
• argumentative?
• abusive?

Or was the son just selfish or suffering from too much pride?  Perhaps, he had decided he knew better than his father and was going to strike out on his own - a mistake we have all made from time to time - isn't it amazing how much smarter our parents get after we get a little older.  ;-).

Scripture is silent on the events leading up to the younger son's request and is also silent on how the father felt or went thru while the son was away.   It only focuses on the sinful behavior of the son while he is apart from his father as well as the realization by the son that his father's servants are living better than he was at the time.  

Doesn't this parable echo how we generally handle our relationship with God?   We believe that we have things under control.   We know what we are doing.  We don't need guidance from anyone else.  We tend to start doing things our own way and move away from God and his teachings/guidance.   I don't know about you, but I have found that things generally don't go very well when I do that.   I find that I make a mess of things and end up coming back to God each and every time and each and every time, God is waiting right were He was before and is more than happy to have me back.  Never have I heard an "I told you so" or "what were you thinking?" even though each of those questions would be more than justified.   God is constant and is true to his word - He waits for us and actively pursues us - just as a shepherd does his lost sheep.  

Which bring us to the end of the parable.  Here we have the father being ecstatic his son who had left has returned throws a party celebrating that fact.  We also have the reaction of the older son, who doesn't react with the same enthusiasm as the Father.  In fact, it's quite the contrary, there is more than a hint of resentment and jealousy that comes from the older brother.   "'Look!  All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders.  Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'"

While it does seem that the father may have been being unfair, isn't the response the father has in the parable exactly what we would expect to hear from God?

"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

The father is happy that the younger son has returned and is with them again.   This is the same happiness that Jesus has for each of us when we walk away from Him - either deliberately or accidentally.  Jesus is always there waiting and welcoming us with open arms.   In fact, the response the father and the reaction of the son is echoed in another of Jesus' parables - The Parable of the Lost Sheep found in Luke 15:1-7:   Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."   Then Jesus told them this parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them.  Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.  Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."  

Doesn't that parable sum it up perfectly?   God loves each and every one of us and there are great celebrations in heaven each someone makes a decision to give their lives to Jesus and follow Him.  We should join in the celebration - otherwise, we run the danger of being like the Pharisees who sit off to the side and grumble/complain about what goes on around us.

What would Jesus do?

I find myself asking myself that question quite a bit here lately.   I often wonder if we are getting it right and if Jesus would agree with many of the stances we as Christians find ourselves taking today.  There are multiple sinful behaviors in the world today.   I honestly don't think that has changed too much as the world has always been sinful.   What may have changed tho is that "in your face" nature of much of the sin that is in the world today.  There seems to be quite of bit of push back against many things that are sinful in the world today.   Depending our your point of view, many of these things are considered "hate speak" or intolerant by many within the world.  While to many Christians, we are only speaking and acting on the truth of the Bible.   However, I wonder if we are taking things a bit too far.

I think saying there is likely to be a good bit of passion behind things that are reported in the media would be a large understatement.   What I am doing here is working to answer the question of how Jesus would handle things today - at least for myself.   You may feel/believe differently - and that is OK.  Differences of opinion and constructive discussion is a great way to learn and explore what we believe in a more detailed way.  Listening to different points of view almost always open new doors of thought.  All I ask is this: if you find yourself disagreeing with anything said here, please do leave a comment.  I am very interested in hearing your perspective.

As a starting point, what did Jesus say the greatest two commandments are?  These can be found in Matthew 22:36-40 "Teacher which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."   This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Based on this, love, whether it is a love of God or a love of neighbor is a very big part of the equation, but what does Jesus mean by "neighbor?"   Surely he isn't only speaking of those that live next door or in our immediate community is he?

One of the places Jesus discusses how to define a neighbor is in the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37 (this section of scripture also echo's what is said in Mattew 22:36-40 above):  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.  "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"  "What is written in the Law?" He replied.  "How do you read it?"  He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind';and;'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied.  "Do this and you will live."  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  In reply, Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.   A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.   But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.  Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took two denarii and gave them to the inn keeper.  'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'   Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"  The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."  Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

To fully understand what Jesus is saying here, we need to understand how the Samaritans were viewed by the Jews during biblical times:

The Samaritans occupied the country formerly belonging to the tribe of Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh.   They were a particularly despised group among the Jews in biblical times.   The resided in what was, at the time, Northern Israel and were generally were a mix of Jewish and gentiles.   As such, they didn't fully comply with Judaism the way the Jews did.   They tended to follow a mix of Jewish and pagan customs and while the believed in God they also maintained a worship of idols.   From a Jewish perspective, Samaritans were not to be associated with and were largely shunned.

Based on the above, and the verses for Luke 10:25-37, you can see that the individual Jesus was interacting with wouldn't even call out that it was the Samaritan and only reference him as "The one who had mercy on him."   I believe Jesus used a Samaritan in this example on purpose.   His overall point is that we are to love and extend love to everyone, including those who do not believe as we do and to folks we consider our enemies.  Jesus' use of a Samaritan in this parable really helped drive that message across in biblical times as the Jewish people would have quickly picked up on this fact.

Does Jesus REALLY expect us to love our enemies?  Yes, that is exactly what Jesus has asked us to do.   Matthew 543-48 states: "You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.  He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are no even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Now, I ask you the following questions:

• Are we demonstrating God's love when we refuse people based on their race, marital status and/or sexual preference?
• Do you think Jesus would deny any of these individuals the ability to hear his word or experience his love?  
• Aren't we to represent Jesus'/God's love to the world?   Are we doing that when we are condemning people to hell before they even get a chance to experience God's love? 

Romans 3:22-26 says: "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.   There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

We all are sinners.   We all fall short.   We are only saved by God's grace because we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  Since we are sinners, who are we to judge?

Matthew 7:1-6 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Who are we to judge the sinful behavior of others, when we ourselves are sinners?

Wouldn't more people in the world who are desperate to hear God's word and experience his love be able to find that love it we quit worrying about how they are sinning and instead focused on loving them?  If we did that, we may find that more people become curious about Jesus and who He is.   They may even stop and ask us why we are being so nice to them.   As Christians, we should be ecstatic and ready to respond to these questions - hoping that people will be drawn to Jesus!  However, we all too often go to the other extreme - we tend to serve on the condition that those that receive God's love behave the way we deem right.   That we are somehow justified to not serve parts of the population because they are living what we believe is a sinful lifestyle.

I leave you with this last bit of scripture:

Matthew 13:24-29  Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy cam and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.  The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field?  Where then did the weeds come from?'  'An enemy did this,' he replied.  The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'  'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest.  At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"

I believe this is telling us that we are to be sowing the seeds for the future harvest.   We, as Christians, will be a part of that harvest and will not be the ones actually doing the harvesting.   In the mean time, we should do what Jesus did:  Love God, Love each others, Love our Neighbors, Love our enemies, Love everyone regardless of if/how they are sinning.  Do not judge others - leave the judging to Jesus when the time comes.   Otherwise, we may just be the reason someone doesn't come to know Jesus.

Think. What do you believe?

I believe:

• that God is a trinity composed of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• the thing that matters most is that we believe that Jesus was sent to earth to die for our sins, rose again, and will return someday.
• that love and forgiveness are the keys to happiness.
• that we as Christians have lost sight of the greatest commandment specified by Jesus:
• Matthew 22:37-38: Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment."
• that we have also lost sight of the second commandment:
• Matthew 22:39-40: "And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
• that the definition of neighbor is larger than just those who live next door:
• Luke 10:29-37: But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?  In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.  Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took our two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'  Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"   The expert in the law replied, "The on who had mercy on him."  Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
• those who have to reconcile evidence of dinosaurs, the big bang and evolution with the bible are really going to struggle with a virgin birth, Jesus's miracles and resurrection.  
• Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
• it takes more than faith and belief in Jesus/God to get into heaven. 
• that you can't work your way into heaven.
• Just as works without faith is worthless, Faith without works is also dead.
• that we as Christians have forgotten that we should love and not judge.
• that we as Christians have forgotten that we are still sinners and that the only difference between ourselves and those who don't believe is God's grace.
• that we have forgotten that it is God's job to judge who is/isn't going to hell.
• that our job is to love and share the news of God's love and gift of eternal life.
• that I have never seen an atheist based soup kitchen or food pantry.
• that finding faith in Jesus get's harder as you grow older.
• there is power in prayer.
• we have forgotten how to pray in that we don't approach God/Jesus with faith and knowing that regardless of the answer, it is all according to a higher plan and that God is control.
• that faith can truly move mountains.
• that denominations between churches come down to disagreements between what we think God said.   God isn't confused about what we said.
• that denominations are fooling themselves if they think much of what they believe is that important to God.   All you need is faith and belief in Jesus and to follow Him.  The rest are details.
• That is just takes a small amount of faith for miracle to happen
• Matthew 17:20: He replied: "Because you have so little faith.  Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you."
• a mustard seed is very, VERY small.

• if a faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain, then how little faith do we have?
• that we have forgotten that God will judge our words/thoughts as well as our actions
• Matthew 12:34-37: "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.  But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgement for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
• the older we get, the more we realize just how little we know/understand.
• the divorce rate would be much lower if people followed Jesus.
• that the churches acceptance of divorce for reasons other than sexual immorality is seen by the world as hypocritical.  Particularly given how harshly the church judges other sinful behavior within the world:
• Matthew 19:3: Some Pharisees came to him to test him.  They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"   "Haven't you read," Jesus replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?  So they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."   "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"  Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard.  But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery."
• that we should consider the following verses before casting stones at the sins of others:
• Luke 6:37-38: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
• Luke 6: 41-42: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
• John 8:2-11: At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.  The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery.  They made here stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.  Now what do you say?"  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.   But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.   When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you with is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."  Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?"  "No one sir," she said.  "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared.  "Go now and leave your life of sin."
• that we make life too complicated.
• that the simplest solutions are generally the best solutions.
• that many people will disagree with some of my beliefs.   I'm OK with that.
• that anyone who complains about the preacher should trade places with him/her on Sunday.
• that we can still be friends and brothers/sisters in Christ even though we don't believe on everything 110%.
• that God loves each and every one of us.
• John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
• Romans 8:37-39: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Ephesians 2:4-5: But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.
• Romans 5;8: But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
• Zephaniah 3:17: The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
• 1 Peter 5:6-7: Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
• Psalm 86:15: But you Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

What do you believe?